The subject matter described herein relates generally to wind turbines and, more particularly, to a wind turbine tower and a system and method for fabricating or making a wind turbine tower.
Many known wind turbines include a tower and a rotor mounted on the tower via a nacelle. The rotor includes a number of blades that facilitate converting wind energy into rotational energy. The rotor typically drives a generator through a gearbox via a rotor shaft, and the gearbox steps up the inherently low rotational speed of the rotor shaft such that the generator can convert the mechanical energy to electrical energy.
The blades of the rotor are configured to have a specific clearance between their lowest point of travel and the tower. It would be undesirable to have the blades strike the tower during operation of the turbine. However, known solutions to this problem include tilting the rotor up at a predetermined angle and/or using blades with a predetermined stiffness. Blade cost and weight increase as additional materials are required to stiffen the blades. Stiffer blades can also result in higher stress levels in the tower.